Dark Circles Be Gone!
I get up at 7:15 in the morning to bring my daughter to school. When I return to the house, I scan several online newspapers for breaking news in my office. I work for a few hours, play with my son, feed and walk the dogs, make lunch, and then it’s time to pick up my daughter. We rush home so she can have a snack and then it’s off to Kung-Fu for 40 minutes (on Mondays and Wednesdays). I work for a few more hours, make dinner, feed and walk the dogs, eat dinner, talk with the family about the day, and then the kids go to sleep. Sometimes I work a couple more hours or I finally get my shower in. I try to watch a little television or get some reading done and spend time with the husband. Before I know it, it’s already 1:00 in the morning, and often it’s a lot later. I go to sleep and start the routine all over again. There just isn’t enough time in the day.
When I go into the bathroom in the morning, my face is not a welcome sight. My tame waves have grown into Medusa-sized entities that snake around my face and neck. My skin looks dull and tired. My eyes are obscure shadows and dark circles form just under my eyes. Thank goodness for sunglasses.
The dark circles you see under your eyes are actually visible blood vessels under your skin. There are many causes of dark circles, including age, allergy and sinus problems, heredity, and fatigue. Even certain medications can cause increased blood flow, and since the area under your eye is delicate, you can often see the blood vessels’ increased activity.
Many women turn to make-up for a solution. We cake on foundation and blend in our beloved concealer hoping to make those dark circles disappear. If you’re like me, however, this is all a futile attempt. I’m clumsy and lazy when it comes to make-up; if it takes more than 5 minutes I won’t do it. Concealer is another enemy of mine. I don’t know how many times I’ve walked into the make-up counter at Nordstrom or have strolled into Sephora and had women show me how to apply concealer properly. My eyes are brighter and don’t look frightening. My skin-tone is even and it looks like I’ve had 10 hours of sleep. Unfortunately, when I come home and try applying concealer myself, it is a grade-A disaster. Perhaps I don’t warm the concealer enough or I don’t blend it well, but I end up looking worse than I did before applying it.
So I’ve stopped trying to incorporate concealer in my life and have turned to products that will help me deal with dark circles over the long-term. Philosphy’s Dark Shadows works well to reduce the appearance of dark circles by using ingredients that work as light diffusers. Bare Escentuals’ bareVitamins Eye Rev-er Upper brightens the area around your eyes and wakes them up. Look for products that contain Vitamin K and retinol. Products that brighten and lighten can also bring you one step closer to reducing dark circles.
When trying to get rid of dark circles, consider your lifestyle and make few key changes. If you are only getting a few hours of sleep every night, this can greatly contribute to the way your body feels, including your eyes and the areas around them. Make sure you allow your body to recover from the day by getting at least eight hours of sleep. When you don’t give your body adequate rest, you will feel and look listless and restless. Sleep can rejuvenate your body in ways no product can ever achieve.
Changing the way you eat can also help give more life to your eyes. A lack of nutrition and a poor diet can lead to dark circles. Eat foods that are rich in vitamins, like fruits and vegetables. Foods such as red meat will provide you with much-needed protein. Eating fish, which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, keeps your immune system strong, and fish oil is also an anti-inflammatory. Diets that are high in fat and in cholesterol work against you and make it difficult for you to achieve a healthy body.
Exercise is another way to relieve your body’s stress and to lessen the effects of dark circles. When your body is sedentary, you gain weight quickly, your energy level is almost non-existent, and your body becomes tired. When you incorporate exercise into your daily routine, you invigorate your body and help reduce chronic diseases like high blood pressure and heart attacks. When you have an energized and healthy body, your face will reflect this inner glow.
Women struggle with beauty dilemmas every day. Dark circles is one of those menacing problems that we have trouble with. Don’t let dark circles ruin your life. Look in the mirror and smile at your dark-circle-free face by living a healthy lifestyle and using products that will enhance your face.
